How to Get the Most Instagram-Ready Coachella Shots This Festival Season

‘Tis the season to be even more Instagram-obsessed than usual: festival season. We’re heading to Coachella this year, and we’re excited for the music and the fashion, but we’ve gotta be honest and say we’re mostly just pumped for how much we’ll get to step up our Instagram game. After all, what’s festival season without a seriously killer IG presence?

Whether you’re going to Coachella, hitting up another festival, or simply looking to get major likes, we’ve got the ultimate guide to getting the shots you need (and that your followers deserve). So let’s hang to talk IG tips, shall we? And don’t forget to send this to your equally IG-obsessed friend and/or personal photographer.

1. Hashtags aren’t an option – they’re essential.

Long gone are the days where hashtags made you look thirsty AF for followers. Now, we all generally recognize that hashtags have to happen if you want to contribute to the overall story of an event. Make sure to tag pretty much every post with #Coachella to make sure your shot isn’t lost.

2. Follow the right accounts.

Whether you want behind-the-scenes looks at your faves, or just need help finding the food truck of your dreams, you’ve got three main accounts to follow: @Coachella, @DesertSun (Coachella Valley’s number one most-viewed news source), and, of course, @HerCampus, because we know what you really really want from Coachella.

3. Don’t wanna flood your feed? Use Stories.

If you aren’t already posting to your Instagram Story on a daily basis, one, um, why??, and two, it’s time to get with the times. Instagram Stories is super simple, beyond gorgeous, and seriously essential for being a part of any event, whether that’s your ~get ready with me~ or you and your BFF finally nailing that boomerang. Don’t forget to use polls, superzoom, and endless gifs (the newest and best part of IG IMO) to spice things up. And make sure to add text for your friends who never have their volume on.

4. Get help nailing the perfect pose.

I know I’m not the only one who saves other people’s pictures to my collection for future IG-inspo… right? Right. If you and your friends just cannot get a decent picture for the life of you, try this hack I swear by: Hit up the #Coachella hashtag, do some scrolling, and find some inspo. Then, arrange all those limbs, get everyone to finally look at the same phone, and get the pic of your dreams. No shame in your Insta-game.

5. Go Live.

BFF can’t make it to Coachella? Use Instagram Live so she can feel like she’s right there with ya. Are you that friend? Ask to join a friend’s live, or join in with @HerCampus. We’ll be live, and we want you to come hang with us! Just tap “request to join” to make yourself known, or hang out in the comments and ask loads ands loads of questions so you don’t miss out on a single second.

6. Follow hashtags.

If you’re really dedicated to all things festival (like, duh), follow these hashtags to see what’s going down.

#Coachella

#Coachella2018

#FestivalFashion

#FestivalBeauty

#FerrisWheel

7. Share secrets by sliding in your BFFs DMs.

Hey, not everything is meant for the public eye. Send your most bizarre selfies and those ~killer dance moves~ to your friends via DM, or just use DMs to figure out where TF your best friend disappeared to.

Basically? Don't be afraid to try out new features, or to look too #thirsty. After all, we're all pretty much using Instagram for the same reason. So hit up those hashtags, and come hang with us. We want your questions, your Coachella fashion tips, and your fave act of the weekend. Happy festival season, and well see you soon on @HerCampus!

Rachel is the Senior Editor at Her Campus. She graduated from Elon University in 2015 where she wrote for Her Campus's Elon chapter as well as the national LGBTQ+ section, and has since held editorial positions at Hello Giggles and Brit + Co along with running social media for several publishers. Her work has been published in Teen Vogue, Glamour, StyleCaster, and SELF, and she can be found in North Carolina smearing face masks on in the name of content. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @RachelCharleneL.